Saturday, November 22, 2014

South Africa Trip, Day 8: Camp Satara, KNP

Kimberly Writes: Today was our last full day in Satara Camp and the surrounding area before we head north for Letaba Camp. I'll miss this area, but will come away with some of the most precious memories of the trip.

We saw several new bird species for the trip today.

There are a number of storks in South Africa, and this is one of the coolest, the African Open-billed Stork.

A new Oxpecker species: the Yellow-billed Oxpecker, riding the back of a Rhino!

There are so many gorgeous kingfishers here. We were delighted to see this Woodland Kingfisher towards the end of the day!

But we also spent a lot of time with a few special animals. It was a very hot day, and many animals were seeking shelter from the blazing sun under the shade trees. We came across a beautiful lioness, loafing all alone very near the road.

And although we have had extraordinary encounters with lions earlier in the trip, there was something exceptional about our time with her.

We spent even more quality time with a magnificent White Rhinoceros that grazed near enough to us that we could see the insects the Oxpeckers were gleaning from its hide.

And as we watched this enormous, lumbering beast, I was nearly overcome with sadness at how many rhinos have been killed solely for their horns. We were so moved by our time with this animal that Kenn and I made a commitment to donate to Save the Rhino International in honor of our special encounter today.

1 comment:

Nice pictures. Thanks for sharing your trip experience. Satara, a place bestowed with historical abundance, is also known for its natural landscape. Surrounded by seven hills and situated near the converging point of two rivers, it will surely to impress you. Check out best hotels in Satara also.